Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit: Innovating for a sustainable business

Posted on 19 Nov 2018 by Jonny Williamson

In their keynote at Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit 2018, co-organisers Dassault Systemes took to the main stage to discuss the vital importance of cross-industry learnings for sustainable manufacturing.

It seems impossible until it’s done. It certainly seemed like that for the first Industrial Revolution and the challenge is the same as we embark on this fourth, digital revolution, noted Dan Hatfield, VP Business Transformation, Dassault Systemes.’

“We believe in attempting the impossible by supporting today’s innovators to make a better tomorrow, working with thousands of customers and partners ranging from start-ups to global manufacturing leaders,” Hatfield continued.

The sense that advances in the digital world can lead to radical changes in the physical world has never been more apt as society shifts from mass consumption towards uniquely tailored experiences and services.

Sustainability and innovation = two sides of the same coin

One of Dassault’s clients is Joby Aviation, explained Lyndsey Sagar. Joby is  a relatively new entrant to the highly competitive aerospace market who design, develop and manufacture innovative electric-powered, personalised transportation offerings.

By leveraging Dassault’s cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Joby’s designers and engineers have access to the same capabilities and technologies that are typically only available to much larger organisations.

Joby are leveraging this platform to create 100% digital shop-floor instructions to build their prototypes, and then using Marketplace to tender these instructions to the largest global ecosystem of suitable 3D printing partners.

Joby provides interested parties with the specifications and quality dimensions, and the 3D printing companies provide quotes and delivery availability. This has transformed the way the business builds, manufactures and prototypes their offerings, enabling the company to trade in a far more rapid, agile and flexible way.

Putting customers at the centre

If you look at any of today’s technology disruptors – such as Uber, Airbnb, Netflix, all have put the customer at the heart of their operation, Dassault’s global affairs director, Severine Touillet noted. Technology plays a crucial role in that, but humans play an equal, if not greater, part.

Around 85% of the jobs that today’s learner will be doing in 2030 haven’t been invented yet, according to the Institute of the Future. Which means they will be performing tasks and roles we aren’t currently preparing them for.

To that end, Dassault is working on several innovative ‘Workforce of the Future’ projects around the world, including in the US, Australia, China, India, Germany and France.

“To truly be prepared for the future, we need to create a robust, flexible, responsive skills ecosystem, and that’s exactly what Dassault Systemes is helping to build,” Hatfield concluded.

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Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit has been bringing together senior industry executives for more than a decade, and is the biggest manufacturer-to-manufacturer conference in the country.

It is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Digital Manufacturing Week, an annual celebration of UK manufacturing excellence that takes place every November in Liverpool. This year saw 887 delegates attend Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit (up 45% on 2017) and 5,322 visitors to Digital Manufacturing Week (up 36% on 2017).

Clear your diary and join us next year: 13-14 Nov 2019!